Combinatorial processing enables rapid evaluation of semiconductor processes. The systems supporting the combinatorial processing are flexible to accommodate the demands for running the different processes either in parallel, serial or some combination of the two.
Gas vapor delivery is commonly used within the semiconductor industry, as well as within solar, glass coating, and other industries, in order to deposit a layer over a substrate. Physical vapor deposition and chemical vapor deposition are common gas vapor delivery techniques.
As feature sizes continue to shrink, improvements, whether in materials, unit processes, or process sequences, are continually being sought for the deposition processes. However, semiconductor companies conduct research and development (R&D) on full wafer processing through the use of split lots, as the deposition systems are designed to support this processing scheme. This approach has resulted in ever escalating R&D costs and the inability to conduct extensive experimentation in a timely and cost effective manner. Combinatorial processing as applied to semiconductor manufacturing operations enables multiple experiments to be performed on a single substrate.
The equipment supporting the combinatorial processing is continually undergoing improvements in order to enable further flexibility and gain efficiency in the manufacturing R&D processes. It is within this context that the embodiments arise.